Muhammad and Malvo Killed 15 With Sniper Riffle. One Got the Death Sentence

Lee Malvo (left) and John Muhammad (right) shot and killed 15 people. Photo courtesy of Chesapeake City Sheriff's Department. Public domain.

In the fall of 2002, terror gripped the Washington, D.C., area as a series of seemingly random shootings left people paralyzed with fear. Known as the "Beltway Snipers," two men unleashed a violent killing spree, leaving investigators and civilians alike scrambling for answers. But who were these snipers, and what was their motive behind such calculated violence?

The Start of the Beltway Sniper Attacks

The Beltway Sniper attacks began on Oct. 2, 2002, when an unidentified shooter began targeting unsuspecting victims in the suburbs around Washington, D.C. Over the next three harrowing weeks, 20 shootings occurred across seven states, leaving 15 people dead and seven critically injured in what appeared to be a series of random attacks. Each attack struck without warning, leaving the public gripped by fear as the elusive shooters continued to disappear without a trace after each incident. At some of the crime scenes, police found chilling evidence: a Tarot "Death" card marked with the handwritten message "Call Me God," as reported by FBI.gov, adding an eerie layer to the attackers' message.

"Death" tarot card from the Rider–Waite Tarot deck, illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith, circa 1910. Public domain.

The Breakthrough That Led to the Beltway Snipers' Capture

Initially, police struggled to identify the Beltway Snipers, as conflicting reports described various vehicles near shooting scenes, and criminal profiles inaccurately predicted a white male suspect. The breakthrough came on Oct. 19, 2002, when investigators found a note at a Virginia crime scene demanding money and specifying a time for a call. Although the phone number was invalid, Secret Service technicians connected the handwriting to a tarot card left at an earlier shooting scene, confirming a link between the attacks across multiple states.

The turning point in the case came in a startling twist: the snipers themselves called a priest, confessing to multiple crimes and urging police to investigate a robbery-homicide in Montgomery, Alabama. Evidence at that scene revealed a match to the fingerprints of 17-year-old Lee Boyd Malvo, already on record with immigration authorities. This crucial link led investigators to his partner in crime, John Allen Muhammad, a Gulf War veteran and expert marksman, who Malvo had been seen traveling with.

On Oct. 24, 2002 a massive manhunt began, culminating in the capture of Muhammad and Malvo as they slept in their vehicle at a rest area. Inside the vehicle, investigators discovered a Bushmaster XM-15 assault rifle, a semiautomatic similar to the M4 carbine used by the U.S. Army. The car had been modified with a hidden firing port cut into the trunk, and adjustments to the back seat allowed one of the snipers to lie flat and shoot undetected from within, effectively turning their vehicle into a mobile sniper's nest. The arrest brought relief to a traumatized public, yet it left lingering questions about the psychological state that drove these two killers to commit such brutal acts.

The trunk of the 1990 Chevrolet Caprice driven by the Beltway snipers in October, 2002. Photo courtesy of the FBI. Public domain.

The Twisted Mission: Muhammad's Grip on Malvo and Their Deadly Vision

Muhammad and Malvo first crossed paths at a homeless shelter in Bellingham, Washington, in 2001. By this time, Muhammad had taken on the role of a surrogate father to the young Malvo, establishing a powerful bond that would soon lead them down a dark path together.

Muhammad's mission was nothing short of disturbing — a vision of igniting a racial revolution and creating a utopian society in Canada. He convinced Malvo that their deadly plan was an answer to the oppression of Black people, aiming to reshape society through violence.

In the months leading up to their attacks, Muhammad took complete control over 17-year-old Malvo, immersing him in anti-American rhetoric and taking him on trips across the country to visit impoverished Black communities in slums and homeless shelters. He made Malvo listen to tapes of hate-fueled speeches, sometimes even while he slept, ensuring his message was constantly ingrained. To harden Malvo for the mission, Muhammad subjected him to brutal survival training, teaching him to shoot, enforcing a strict vegetarian diet, and even tying him to a tree to "prove his toughness," as reported by the Los Angeles Times. This relentless indoctrination transformed Malvo into a follower, bound to Muhammad's twisted vision without fully understanding why such horrific actions would spark any real change.

Prosecution and Sentencing: Justice for the Beltway Sniper Attacks

Muhammad and Malvo were prosecuted in Virginia, where Muhammad was found guilty of murder and weapons charges in November 2003. He received a death sentence, which was carried out in November 2009 after all appeals were exhausted. In December 2003, Malvo was convicted on charges of murder, terrorism, and firearms violations, resulting in a life sentence without the possibility of parole. A 2005 Supreme Court ruling banning the death penalty for juveniles ultimately spared Malvo from execution; he remains incarcerated to this day.

The Beltway Sniper attacks left a haunting legacy, reminding us of the fear two men could sow with a twisted vision and a powerful weapon. Muhammad's chilling influence over Malvo turned a troubled teenager into an accomplice, and together, they left an entire region paralyzed with fear. Though justice was served — Muhammad executed and Malvo serving life without parole — their deadly spree stands as a stark warning about the destructive power of manipulation and radicalization.

References: Beltway Snipers | Beltway Sniper Attacks | Snipers' Motives Start to Emerge | Two serial killers struck fear in America. But behind the seemingly random attacks was a twisted plan